String trimmer question

Can anyone tell me if they have had any problems with the new echo 260s (steel shaft). The ones with the new throttle safety locks. Do they take the gas once they start? Do they have a tendency to hesitate?

I own a echo srm 2601 and was leaning toward buying a new echo 260s. My dealer was telling me that the new echo doesn't run as well as the redmax bcz2500su. He said the echo takes longer to warm up and longer to take the gas as opposed to the redmax. This is due to the EPA regulations. He said the redmax seems to be engineerd a little better.